Chapter 10 - Stacy
Ithink I screwed up.
I thought I put enough wood on the fire last night. But my phone is dead and I didn’t set an alarm.
Holy shit, is it cold.
But I’m just so tired, I don’t want to get up.
A heavy knock on the door startles me awake.
“Stacy? Are you okay in there?” Reece’s deep voice bellows through the small cabin.
“Yes,” I say, although it comes out as a squeak.
The creaking of the hinges barely registers.
“Stacy?” He’s inside, not nearly as loud. “You might want to wake up, sweetie.”
Sweetie.
His cute little nickname sends a flare of warmth through me.
Why does he have to be so perfect? Actually, if I could just mash him and Dean into one man, that’d be my dream hunk.
Smart, sexy, and spoils me rotten.
Tugging the thick comforter down, I try to muster some strength behind my voice. “I’m awake. I just don’t want to get up because it’s freezing.”
“You shouldn’t stay in bed. I’m pretty sure it’s below zero outside,” he grumbles, a low vibration that somehow works up through the frame.
Is that paper crinkling?
God, I’m awful. I think he’s starting the fire for me.
“We’ll get it heating up in no time.” He flicks the lighter, and I can hear the whoosh of flames.
The last thing I want to do is crawl out of the covers, but I am almost to the point of shivering.
“Do you want to come over for some coffee? I’ll make a fresh pot.” His boot props on the bottom stair, slightly shaking the handrail.
“I’d rather you come warm me up.”
Shit. I suck in a rapid inhale. Did I say that out loud? What the hell is wrong with me?
Suffocating silence is only broken by the crackling burn.
“I can if you really want me to,” he murmurs, almost so low I’m not sure I heard him correctly.
A jolt runs through me.
It’s the cold playing with me, right?
There’s a tremor through the loft as he rises another step. “Well? Are you gonna get up, or am I crawling in?”
Tucking the edge of the blanket under my chin, I peer over the edge to see his amber eyes just cresting the level of the floor.
“What about Dean?” I whisper.
Can this really be happening?
Reece’s crooked smile appears as he takes the next stair. “Oh, he’ll be jealous.”
Holy shit, I’m so tempted. Having a man like Reece even remotely interested in me was never on my Bingo card.
My hand trembles, tangled in the blanket. “I bet. You two are such a cute couple.”
His baritone laugh rumbles into my belly. “Stacy, we aren’t together. We’ve been best friends since middle school. But it’s just that. Friends.” He emphasizes the last word.
With another step, his chest and torso appear.
Not together.
He wraps his broad hand around the spindle for the rail. “So what’ll it be?” His voice drops into a sexy growl. “Are you getting up and getting dressed, or am I crawling in there and warming you up?”
Prim and proper Stacy would laugh nervously and put more clothes on.
But I’m hundreds of miles from ever seeing them again. When Christmas is over, we’ll all go our separate ways.
Do I want to remember this as a thrilling adventure? Or one where I do the ‘right’ thing?
Raising the edge of the thick comforter, I give him my best smile. “I want to stay in bed for a while longer.”
Am I crazy?
Probably.
His groan works its way into my belly as he climbs the rest of the way up.
Then his heavy coat falls to the floor at the same time as he toes off his boots.
“Scootch.” He lifts the quilt, sliding under quickly to drop it over him.
When his hot hand grabs my hip, he presses his body against mine.
“You’re cold,” I giggle, my voice quivering.
I’m so damn nervous, it could be a hundred degrees in here and I think my teeth would still chatter.
Working his way lower, his face levels with mine. “Let’s see if this helps.” Cupping my jaw, he tilts my chin to meet my lips with his.
He’s pine and leather with a hint of dark coffee. Yet gentle as a snowflake, brushing a tickle of whiskers against my chin.
“Better?” he whispers, moving the heat of his palm to the middle of my back.
“Mmhmm.” My fingers work through his short beard to drape behind his neck. It takes everything in me not to manically cackle at the insane turn of events.
His arm moves lower, curling behind my thigh to drape my leg over his. “You tell me if you want me to stop.”
Then his tongue finds the hollow below my ear sending a ricochet of static through my body.
This has to be a dream. I must be unconscious, frozen in a snowbank somewhere.
Because this feels too dang good to be real.
“Do you know the fastest way to warm up?” His breath scalds against my racing pulse.
My own hitches when I feel the tips of his fingers under the hem of my shirt.
“How?” I pant. I’m already lost in his touch.
“Skin to skin.” His husky voice follows his exploring mouth down my collar, leaving a trail of fire with every press.
“You made that up.” But it has me digging at the buttons on the front of his chest.
He raises up high enough for me to see his smile. “Scout’s honor.” With a grin, he crashes his lips to mine. His tongue razes my mouth, claiming it as his own.
Loosing a groan, he rolls his hips, digging his bulging crotch between my thighs.
“I mean, if it’s a rule. I don’t want to freeze to death.” My nails work through his short, curly hair, tugging him closer.
“We certainly can’t let that happen.” He leans his shoulders back far enough to rip his arms from his sleeves, revealing a broad, muscled chest that ripples down to a tight set of abs.
“My gosh,” I gasp, running my hand down his firm belly. “I think I already died.”
I’m suddenly embarrassed. My own tummy is anything but flat.
As if he can sense my hesitation, he lifts my hem. “Let me see your gorgeous body.”
I’m never going to see him again after this vacation. Just give in.
Throwing aside my vulnerability, I let him pull my top over my head.
“Fuck, Stacy.” His fingers dance lightly down the swell of my breast leaving a trail of goosebumps. “You’re so damn beautiful.” He follows the line with his burning mouth.
I cry out with the shock of him pulling my nipple between his teeth.
They’ve been so cold, it almost hurts.
But the sting melts into a puddle of heat that gathers deep in my loins.
His soft lips work to the other, while he rolls the first with his thumb.
“That’s my girl,” he purrs, then shifts his body to nestle between my legs, covering me with his sculpted body to press his bare chest against mine. “See how good that feels?”
My heels wrap him to dig behind his knees. “My hero.”
Tracing his ribs, I let my lower lip tuck between my teeth.
Should I?
Will I regret this later?
Very possible.
But I’m throwing caution to the wind.
“There’s just one problem.” I bat my lashes up at him. “There’s still parts of me that need warmed up.”
His lids drop over his caramel eyes in a heady stare. “What kind of Boy Scout would I be if I let you freeze?” He grinds himself against my aching pussy as his fingers tangle in my hair.
“You’d earn the ‘cock block’ badge.” I can’t help myself.
The whole bed shakes with his laughter.
Then he falls serious, gently kissing me. “You’re incredible. But I didn’t exactly come up here prepared to meet someone.”
I weigh what he’s trying to say.
At this point in my life, I don’t care. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to be a mother some day.
He’ll never have to know.
“I’m on birth control,” I lie. I quit nearly two months ago, hoping against hope that Bryan was wanting to stay with me, to start a family.
I make enough money. My mom lives nearby and would love a grandchild.
“That’s too bad,” Reece murmurs against my throat. “I was really hoping to put a baby in you.”
My heart skips. “Well, I guess you’ll have to try really hard.”